


Lemon and Honey

by Legacy_Scarlettpeony (Scarlettpeony)



Category: Howl no Ugoku Shiro | Howl's Moving Castle
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-08-09
Updated: 2005-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:27:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28171638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarlettpeony/pseuds/Legacy_Scarlettpeony
Summary: Markl wishes to build his ideal family with Sophie, Howl and the Witch.Originally Published to FF.Net:9th August 2005.
Relationships: Sophie Hatter/Howl Pendragon
Kudos: 29





	1. Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Markl falls ill he starts to wish for a mother. It is then that he realises that Sophie is the perfect mother.

Markl had been alone ever since he was little. 

His parents had died when he was very young, and he barely remembered them. Over the past few years, Master Howl had been the only thing close to a parent he had. Though Howl didn't like responsibility, Markl looked up to him and saw him as a father-figure. In all these years he had been alone there was only one thing that Markl had really wanted. He asked for every time he found an angel feather, saw a shooting star, or blew out the candles on his birthday. He always asked for a mother. The sort of mother he wanted was the type of mother everyone had; a mother who was nice to him, who would look after him when he was ill, who smiles and talks to him about things that mattered to him. He wanted a mother who would read him stories before he went to bed, tuck him in, kiss his cheek and tell him she loved him.

That was all he wanted.

For a long time, this only existed in his dreams. He'd imagine how everyone lived in the castle and were a family: Howl, the mother and him, and Calcifer, of course. He was some sort of grandfather, sitting in his heath, making jokes and going on and on. It was funny. In reality, it was just the boys. Howl could never get a girl to stick because she would always dump him, and then all Markl would have was green slime.

And then one day, there she was! She just turned up one night. Markl woke up, and there she was, this snoring old lady who had all of her teeth! Markl was not in the mood for an old lady, but she was a blessing in disguise. When she first stepped into the castle, she drove them mad with her obsessive cleaning. But Sophie was still a blessing. She was not a mother, but she was the next best thing. 

_ She could be my grandmother _ , he had thought to start with. But there was something different about Sophie. She didn't act like a normal old woman, more like a young girl wrinkled before her time!

Of course, she was a young woman in reality!

"Please don't leave Sophie! I love you, and I want you to stay!"

"I love you too, and don't worry. I'm staying."

"Because we're a family now, right?"

"Yes, we're family."

Sitting out in the garden, looking down at the world below, watching Sophie as she cared for Witch, Markl thought that the family was complete. Sophie was young again, and although too young to be his mother, she played the part more and more every day.

Markl rubbed his head - he was feeling a little warm today. 

_ It's probably nothing _ . 

Sophie walked towards him, her starlight hair shining in the sun and blowing in the wind. 

He felt a sharp pain in his temple.  _ Ouch, it's aching! Maybe I'm getting a headache. _

She looked so pretty with her hair that way. It seemed she liked it too from the way she ran her fingers through it. 

Markl had noticed this. 

_ It was like you did with your mother, you know her habits.  _ Or so he presumed.  _ The sweet scent too. _ The smell of a mother. With Sophie, she was sweet like honey. Markl liked it.  _ It's what a mother should smell like. _

The two of them sat on the grass and looked at one another. 

"Are you okay, Markl?" Sophie suddenly asked, seeming concerned. "You don't look very well today…"

Markl looked pale and droopy, which was very unlike him. He felt even luckier than before now, someone had pointed out his strange paleness. He found himself groaning as he answered, "I'm fine!"

She reached out her hand and touched Markl's forehead. It was a cool touch, and pleasant against Markl's forehead that felt like it was on fire. Sophie gasped at this and instantly wrapped her arms around him. He wanted to collapse into them, the scent that was so soothing made him feel a lot better.

"You're burning up!" she exclaimed as she picked Markl off the ground. She hurriedly walked towards the castle, carrying him in her arms. He really wanted to sleep. He felt that it was the only way his head would feel better…

"Markl?"

He opened his large brown eyes to find Sophie, Howl and Grandma Witch all gathered around him. Grandma Witch was rubbing his freezing cold feet, and Howl sat admiring Sophie as she dabbed a wonderfully cold flannel over his forehead.

"Sophie?" Markl croaked. His throat was so painful, and his mouth felt so dry. It tasted like blood.

"Just try and relax," Sophie said soothingly, she sounded so motherly. "You had us worried." 

As she spoke, Markl felt a beam of happiness through him. He felt cared for. 

Sophie rinsed the flannel again, and it felt refreshing. That felt good too. 

"I'm going to go and get some medicine for you. Howl'll dab your forehead. 'Kay?"

Markl nodded weakly, only to hear the Grandma Witch speak up. "How long do I have to keep doing this, dear?"

"Until his fever reaches his toes" Sophie explained. "We need to keep his head cool and his feet warm. He'll feel much more comfortable that way…"

"I wouldn't have known what to do, " Howl pointed out. "I'd have just told him to sleep until he felt better!" 

"It's amazing how many people think that's the way to go about a heavy fever. But too much sleep can make the head hurt more," Sophie replied as she handed Howl the flannel.

She leant over Markl and kissed him on the forehead. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

She disappeared for a while, leaving Markl in the company of Howl and Grandma Witch. They spoke between themselves about things that Markl couldn't remember. It was only when he entered the conversation that he began to listen.

"Why don't you two leave me?" Markl croaked. "If you don't, you might catch what I have!"

"Sophie told us that we have to 'draw the fever down from your head', and until she gets back, I don't think we're going anywhere," Howl replied. He then chuckled, "Besides, it wouldn't be the end of the world if I caught your fever!"

"You'd love that, wouldn't you?" Grandma Witch spoke, fluttering her eyes at him. Howl was oblivious, though. Switching her attention from Markl's left leg to his right, Grandma Witch wrapped a blanket around the leg just as Sophie had told her to. "It's rare I get to take care of someone. You'd do anything to be the centre of attention, wouldn't you? Not to mention having dear Sophie waiting on you hand and foot!"

"My idea of heaven!"

"It's rare I get to take care of someone -- would you let me rub your foot, young man."

"As long as Sophie's holding the other one."

"Hoo-hoo!"

They were laughing when Sophie returned. Markl could hear her moving about in the kitchen, and he wondered what she was doing. At last, she made her way back upstairs, carrying everything in a little straw basket of hers; the medicine, vinegar and fresh sheets. In her other hand, she held a cup.

"What's that?" Howl asked, nodding at it.

"A little secret magic to cure all ills," Sophie beamed as she made her way back to Markl's side. She placed the basket and the cup on the table next to Markl's bed and turned her attention to Grandma Witch's work. Sophie put her hand on Markl's right leg and smiled. "It's still a little too cold, but it's coming along well."

"My hands are burning from all this rubbing!" Grandma Witch complained.

"Let me do it, then."

And with that, Sophie sat at the end of the bed and toom over from the Witch's work. Once she was convinced the leg was warm enough, she quickly wrapped up the leg with one of the sheets from the basket and wrapped both the legs together in one of Markl's blankets. Markl knew that medicine was coming next.

"Howl, could you get me a spoon?" asked Sophie.

She grabbed the medicine out of the basket and shook it. Markl flinched at the horrid smell. As Howl came back with the spoon, he sat up and moved his head away as Sophie attempted to feed it to him.

"I prefer Howl's method," Markl protested. "Just leave me here, and I'll get better!"

"Don't be silly, Markl!" Sophie snapped but not in an angry way. She held the spoon at his mouth, and again he would not open. Sophie sighed, "Do what I do and imagine you're swallowing something you really like… Now, open!"

Markl took it and swallowed the disgusting mixture, "Ack!"

"It did help though, didn't it?" Sophie smiled as she reached over to hand him the cup that she had brought. It was warm and felt nice in Markl's hands. "Here, this is my special medicine for a nasty fever."

"What is it?"

"Lemon and honey."

_ Lemon and honey?  _ That was the smell Sophie reminded him of. Honey. A magical scent that cures all ills. When you're ill, your mother cares for you and makes you feel better. She'll look after you, she'll know what to do, and she'll mother you until you feel better.

Markl had never known this feeling until he met Sophie. She was kind, sweet and gentle, just as a mother should be. She was patient with him and cared deeply for everyone in her life: for Howl, for Grandma Witch, for Heen, for Calcifer and to his great relief and happiness, for him.

Sophie did not leave Markl that night. She sat by him the whole time, speaking to him when he was awake and waiting quietly while he slept. At one point, late at night, Markl awoke to feel much better. To his surprise, Sophie was lying next to him, embracing him with such motherly affection that Markl dared not move from fear of waking her.

Howl had once said that Sophie looked so beautiful and innocent asleep. To Markl, she looked like an angel. He would never think otherwise. He would always remember the taste of honey and honey when he was ill. Still, he would never forget the smell of lemon and honey as Sophie. He felt that for years to come, they would be a family. He knew that within time, Sophie would have her own children. But Markl could be their elder brother.

Please don't love me any less than them, Markl thought as he started to fall back to sleep, I've waited so long for my real family to be complete. Heen is the family pet, Calcifer is the grandfather, the Witch is grandmother, Howl is the father, and... 

Markl sighed as he drifted away into his dreams, feeling much better now. 

_ Lemon and honey, _ he knew everything would be okay… The scent of a mother.  _ Sophie, she'll always be my mother. _


	2. Matchmaker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Job 1: Make dad propose to mum! Markl knows Sophie is his ideal mother. Trouble is helping his ideal father find the guts to pluck the question.
> 
>  **Originally posted to FF.Net:** 16th August 2005.

Markl felt much better. 

It was as if Sophie had a healing touch. Lemon and honey really was the best cure, not the yucky medicine he had to take. Sadly, Sophie was forced to switch her attention to Howl, who had caught Markl's fever. Entirely on purpose, Grandma Witch accused him, but Sophie rolled with the punches. 

With Sophie otherwise occupied, Markl decided to help her by looking after Grandma. This turned out to be a good thing, as the pair of them hatched a plan.

Well, it was all Markl's idea, really. He had been practising for it in his head for years. Once he found his mother, he would be determined to keep her. 

Though he was only six, nearly seven, and had to divert his eyes whenever Sophie and Howl  _ kissed _ , he knew things. Like, that all mums and dads usually slept in the same room. Yet Markl had noticed that Sophie still kept to her own. He also knew that most parents were married - though he didn't understand why they  _ had  _ to be married - and there had been no progress on that front either. Markl didn't understand. Didn't Howl love Sophie?

Markl finally asked one day without thinking, "Sophie -are you and Howl going to get married?"

"If he asks me," was all Sophie said with a patient smile.

"Then will you ever sleep in the same room as him?"

Her cheeks had turned pink.

"Markl, you are too young to ask such things!"

"Why?"

She spluttered, looking so funny that Markl laughed. Sophie snorted and tried to hide her embarrassment. "Only if he marries me. I don't want the neighbours talking."

"Why would the neighbours talk?"

Awkwardly, Sophie played with her hair.

"Ladies shouldn't share a bed with a man before marriage. Mother would have a heart attack, too."

Sophie's mother was that weird blonde lady. Her sister was nicer. Lettie - she gave Markl cakes when she visited.

"But why can't you share before marriage?"

Sophie sighed. "You're too young to understand, Markl."

How could he understand if she didn't tell her? To Markl, it seemed stupid. What was wrong with sharing a room with Howl? There was nothing wrong with that. "Am I missing something?" Markl asked Grandma Witch when he brought her some soup Sophie had made.

But she didn't help explain why either.

"Hoo-hoo," Grandma chuckled. " _ I _ would be happy to share a bed with Howl. But Sophie is a good girl. A respectable girl must wait for marriage."

He still didn't get how marriage made it all better. 

"Sophie, do you want to marry Master Howl?"

"Of course, I would."

"So if he  _ ever  _ going to ask you?"

"I'll have to wait and see, won't I?"

That was when Markl decided to take matters into his own hands. He would convince Howl to ask Sophie to marry him. It was a foolproof plan because he knew that Sophie would say yes. The problem was convincing his would-be-father figure do it. You can't pin him down to anything unless he chooses to pin himself  _ to  _ it! Still, Markl knew Howl very well and decided that he would catch him when he wouldn't be able to get away from him. That was when Howl's illness came into play.

He rubbed Heen's head as he explained his idea to Grandma Witch.

"What do you think, grandma?" Markl asked. 

The ancient lady thought a moment.

"If you want to convince Howl to do anything, now is certainly your chance."

"Yep! It'll be easy about now, seeing as Master Howl can't get away…"

"And then what will you do?"

Before Markl could answer, Sophie ran down the stairs. She gave them all a smile. 

"I'm going out to some supplies. Make sure he doesn't leave that room. Howl says he's bored, but his feet can't get cold…" 

She quickly grabbed her basket, white hat and shawl and went off towards the door. Before she left, she looked over at the empty grate. 

"It's a shame that Calcifer's out," she sighed. "He could have kept Howl's feet warm." 

Markl watched Sophie leave, then eagerly turned to Grandma.

"This is my chance to talk to Howl without Sophie coming in!" Or overhearing them, or just Howl calling out to her to save him. 

So, as Grandma Witch wished him luck, Markl snuck up to Howl's bedroom and knocked on the door.

"Master Howl?"

The room was still a shrine to Howl's youth, crammed full of his childhood toys, art and features. Even so, the most childish thing in the room was Howl - including the actual child, Markl! - and he lay in pitiful silence, looking very sorry for himself. 

Markl didn't back down. He wanted his family unit, and he wasn't leaving until he got it!

He quickly went to his master's side.

"Master Howl?"

Howl turned his head and opened his eyes, "Oh, Mark, something wrong? Did Grandma okay? I'm not feeling too good Markl and Sophie's gone out--"

Markl didn't listen to his babbling, but he felt sorry for Howl. He would keep to his plan, though he decided to be tactful cause he didn't want to make his master worse. After all, he even though Master Howl was a famous drama king, Markl remember how horrid this fever had been.

"Grandma's fine, I'm fine, nothing's wrong, I know you're not feeling good. That's why I came up to talk to you, Master Howl!" Markl revealed. He crept closer so that his master would pretend he couldn't hear. "Master Howl, you do love Sophie, don't you?"

Howl's eyes shot open, and he looked straight at Markl, "Huh?"

"Are you going to ask her to marry you, Howl?" Markl pestered less respectful. As expected, Howl slowly closed his eyes and pretended he couldn't hear. That annoyed Mark. "Master Howl!" he squawked. "I know you can hear me. You were fine a minute ago. Master Howl! Answer me! Are you going to marry Sophie?"

Howl peeked at him.

"Why do you want to know?"

"'Cause I wanna know!"

"Go and help your grandmother, Markl!"

"Answer my question!"

"No!"

"I won't go until you do!"

Howl groaned and turned, so he was face down in his pillow. Markl went on asking the same question over and over. There no way he was backing down, and he knew that his master would give in if Markl kept pestering him; it was how things got done before Sophie came along.

"Why do you ask?" Howl muffled. "Would you like it if I married her?"

Markl found himself jumping up and down, "Yes! Then we'd be a proper family!"

"Why would marrying her make us 'a proper family'."

"Because Sophie won't sleep with you unless you marry her," Markl began. He paused a little bit when he saw a sort of shocked look on Howl's face. "Why does everyone act so weird when I say that?"

"I'll tell you when you're thirty!" Howl laughed nervously. He pulled himself up so he could sit up to look at Markl. He then sighed, "Okay. You wanna know something, man to man?"

He patted his bed and Markl jumped up.

"If you must know, I', planning on asking her--"

"When?"

"Soon."

"Do it now!" Markl said excitedly, grasping Howl's shoulders. "Do it now! She'll say yes! I know she will!" 

He then realised what he was doing and quickly slipped off the bed. "Sorry. You can ask her when you want to. But, it's just, I love Sophie a lot… I really wish I could be her son. I never had a mother…"

Howl nodded, he fell a backwards onto his pillows again, and a small laugh erupted from him. "Yeah. I know. Okay, I'm going to sleep for real now, Markl… Remember to work on that invisibility spell I left for you? Go and work on that. Grandmother can help you if you get stuck."

Markl turned to leave. Then he remembered why he was there, "You promise you'll ask her soon?"

Howl raised his thumb up.

Markl went skipping towards the door, and finally, he found it in his heart to say. 

"You know, Master Howl, you really are the coolest dad in the world!" He then left the room with both but Howl's faint laughing in his ear.

So he worked on his spell, trying to perfect it in a way that Master Howl would be proud. He tried not the leap up and dance when Sophie finally came home, and he tried to not listen in on what was going on upstairs. Within time, he heard laugher coming from upstairs as Howl, dressed in his pyjamas; dressing gown and slippers ran downstairs like a child. His heart was technically still that of a child, but his mind was that of man.

"She said 'Yes'!"

Markl laughed as he ran up and hugged everyone, even the Grandma Witch, who took the hug with a giddy look on her face. Probably half happy and half thinking about Prince Kabu at the time. Still, Markl went on laughing as Sophie came down, half laughing and half worrying.

"Your fever is going to get worse, Howl!" she called after him as she ran after him into the garden.

Heen coughed and smiled as he ran out into the garden also. Within time everyone was out in the garden looking down towards the ground. The flying castle had picked up and was flying. That meant that Calcifer has to be nearby!

"Hey, what's all the yelling for? What'd I miss?"

Sure enough, it was Calcifer. He blazed up in front of everyone and seemed to chuckle as the whole story was explained. Markl felt that the family has never looked or felt so much closer. All Grandma Witch could say was how pretty Calcifer looked, and then he patted Markl on the head. "Good job, Markl! So what is your next plan of action?"

That was where Markl just smiled and winked, it wasn't something he could really fix up, and it was all up to Howl and Sophie now. So as he drank the warm lemon and honey that Howl never got round to drinking himself, he thought about what it'd be like if his plan did go into perfect action.


	3. Confetti

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honey isn't sure about having the flamboyant Wizard Howl as her son-in-law. Can Markl convince her otherwise and secure the wedding of the century?
> 
> **Originally Posted to FF.Net:** 24th November 2005.

Howl was so happy Sophie agreed to marry him that he was yelling it, quite literally, from the rooftops of Market Chipping. It wouldn't be long before the whole land knew about the wedding of Wizard Howl. It was funny when Markl went out with Sophie to the morning market, and everyone offered her congratulations before she even said, "Good morning." 

"You must be so excited!"

"Oh, bless you, girl!"

The complements went on and on.

"I've never been so popular!" Sophie remarked. Neither had Markl - all the children in the town already assumed that Sophie was Markl's mother or big sister, and they were congratulating him, too. 

"Were you popular at school, Sophie?"

Sophie snorted, "Being the elder sister meant you were unlucky, so they used to pick on me for it. The girls at the old hat shop sometimes sad hurtful things behind my back, too."

"That's horrible."

"Oh, don't worry. It was a while ago, and we made amends."

Sophie's loud, weird mother and cake-baking sister started to come to the castle more to discuss wedding plans. It made Markl loud Sophie didn't take after her. Honey was lovely, but her overreactions often had startled him. 

Sophie was practically being swallowed whole by both women with talk about the wedding. Whenever a male walked in, the room went quiet. Markl thought it was because only girls could talk about weddings, but Howl said it was because neither woman liked him. "Who would be thrilled with the prospect of Wizard Howl as a son or brother-in-law?" 

Still, Howl turned on the charm Honey and Lettie. He would compliment them and even flirt, but not in a gross way to Markl's relief.

"Ah, Mother! You're looking radiant today. If I didn't know any better, I'd have mistaken you for Lettie's twin! And Lettie, you're just as cute as ever."

Lettie scowled; Honey shook her head grandly.

Sophie poured some more tea for everyone. After a brief moment of silence, Honey addressed Howl at last. "Wizard, this is a serious meeting! I've come do discuss the dowry - and to see what I'm getting in return."

Honey tapped her nose.

"Let you forget Sophie is eighteen, and by Ingarian law, a girl must be twenty-one before she can marry without the consent of her parents. Now, I'm not one to want to push either of my daughters into marriage. Their father, my first husband, God rest his soul, wanted them to choose their husbands, particularly Sophie… Back then she owned the hat shop, you see…"

"She still does" Howl pointed out. He placed his hand on Sophie's knee. Lettie snorted at that. "Sophie still owns the hat shop; we just call it a flower shop now." He beamed and put another arm around Sophie.

"Why would you all a hat shop a flower shop?" Lettie asked, confused. 

Sophie leaned over to pet her hand and explained, they had turned the hat shop into a flower shop. Lettie beamed with delight, "Oh good! That's much better than a stuffy old hat shop. May I see?"

So Sophie and Lettie took one another's hands, and Sophie led her to the flower shop next door. As soon as they had gone, Howl and Markl glanced at each other and then they both looked at Honey who was still just sitting there. She had taken out a golden watch and checking the time. 

"It's not mine, I bought it for her," Howl assured Honey. "It's rightfully hers."

Honey pulled her watch out. "I won't believe that until my husband is here. He is a solicitor, after all, so he will be checked all of the documents to ensure you aren't short-changing us!"

Howl scowled.

"Sophie is my eldest daughter; a timid, delicate and fragile beauty," Honey continued. "I had hoped to introduce her to a few of my husband's friends. They are respectable men with good jobs. Sophie would compliment them perfectly. I have also been approached by none other than Prince Justin! A Prince!"

Honey's eyes sparkled.

"In short, you are not the only man looking to woo my Sophie," she said frankly. "And to be honest, Wizard Howl, your womanizing has reached my ears from the capital. How do I know you won't disgrace her, take all you can from her and then leave? Any mother would be right to be concerned!"

Though Howl hardly ever raised his temper, he lost it. Markl felt angry, too, as  _ he  _ knew Howl had only ever shown Sophie love and respect. He adored her, more than any rich man Honey might find for her. Had Grandma Witch not told Markl to "be polite to your elders," he would have said so to Honey, too. 

Howl probably saw how angry he was getting and tried to shoo him off. 

That was when Honey turned to Markl and asked him something. "I've seen you here before. Are the wizard's son, or something?"

Markl suddenly didn't know what to do. All his anger had gone, and now he was just nervous. Only last week he had called Howl the best dad in the world, and he had even started to call Sophie 'mother', but could he really call himself their son, when he wasn't really. He was born of a fisherman. His real mother had died giving birth to him. Until he was four, he worked on the ship with his father. Then his father died after falling overboard and drowning. They never even found the body. After that, they took Markl back to Porthaven and left him to fend for himself. The little four-year-old had lived off scraps found in the street and any odd piece of food he was given by people who pitied him. He soon began sleeping on people's doorsteps, until one day, someone coming out of their home awaked him. It was Howl. After Markl explained himself, Howl had told him to wait inside while he got some bread. Even now, Markl couldn't believe how nervous he was when he entered the castle for the first time. He'd never been in a wizard's home before. It was then that he sat in front of the grate and discovered Calcifer.

"An orphan, huh?" he'd said after Markl had told him what happened. "Poor kid, Howl's an orphan too, you know".

"Really?" Markl had said, feeling a little better after explained about what had happened to him, "What happened to his mum and dad?"

"Before he met me, his dad and uncle had travelled between many worlds together as wizards," Calcifer explained. "Howl had to stay at home with his mother and elder sister, Megan. Then when he was only your age, his mother died. His father and uncle came back for him and his sister. They travelled for quite a while together. Then one day, a few days after his sixth birthday, when they were coming back to here on a ship, his sister fell into the water. His father and uncle tried to get her back, but by the time they got her back, she was close to death, die a few days later when she was only thirteen. Howl and his sister were inseparable, and it took him quite a while to get over her death. She had been his best friend. With no other children to play with, Howl started playing with toys. He'd had such a disrupted childhood. It was all he wanted to do.

"After they had buried his sister, they were almost straight away off again. But there was a plague that hit the ship and many people died, including Howl's father." 

Markl remembered that he had felt so sorry for Howl. He'd lost both his parents and his sister. Markl, having been an only child, didn't know what it was like to have a sister. After that, it had been an ambition of his to have one. Obviously, it would be a younger sister, but if he got a sister, Markl promised himself he would be the best older brother he could be. When Howl came back, he fed them both and told Markl he could stay as long as he wanted.

Markl never left and within time became his apprentice. Once he and Howl started to get on, Markl looked on him as a father. He liked to think Howl cared for him as a son too. This was when Markl started praying that Howl would find a girl who wouldn't ditch him after two dates.

Markl snapped out of his trip down memory lane when Howl ruffled up his hair.

"Yep, he's my son," Howl declared happily. "Adopted, of course, but I'm a father-figure to him. Sophie is like a mother to him, too."

"Yeah," Markl nodded, awestruck. He looked at Sophie's mother. "Miss Honey, ma'am. We love Sophie. She's the kindest, sweetest and friendliest woman ever. She looks after me, and she makes all of us happy!" 

He then looked at Howl and smiled, "And though Master Howl has his faults, he's very kind and generous. And he loves Sophie! They belong together and that they will have a happy life together. Please let Sophie stay with us, we love her more then you could ever know!"

Honey, to Markl's surprise, seemed utterly touched by those words, simple and childish as they were. It was because they were genuine. Honey screamed with joy and flung her arms around him, crying in the same fashion as she had the day she came to see Sophie when the war was still on. 

"OH, MICHAEL!"

"M-Markl, ma'am" he corrected her,

_ "Markl? What sort of name is that...?" _ she muttered quietly, but then threw herself into sobs again, "OH, MARKL! THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL! WHAT A LOVELY LITTLE BOY, YOU ARE!" 

She then looked towards Howl, who seemed very pleased despite the fact he hadn't really done anything. 

"Now,  _ you  _ say something as heartfelt as this boy, and I'll happily let you marry Sophie".

Howl's eyes widened. He looked unsure of what to say or do. He knew in his heart what he wanted to say but had never spoken from it before. He'd only just got it back, after all! It was bizarre, but Markl knew straight away what Howl would say as it was the only thing that Howl could say without milking it or messing it up.

"I... love her," was all he said,

"Is that it?" Honey asked disappointedly, finally letting Markl out of her grip.

"Isn't that enough?"

"It isn't always," Honey sniffed. "Marriage can not be built upon three simple words. It needs commitment. I can't let my daughter marry you just on those words. I need to know just  _ how much _ you care for her…"

Howl smiled, "I love her more than anything. In my life, I never thought anything could be so perfect in my life, except, maybe my hair? But even that doesn't fathom up to the perfection that your daughter has. Sophie is the single most important person in my life. I'd die for her."

"And that's a fact!" Markl burst out,

"And…" Sophie said as she came back in with Lettie and Grandma Witch with her, "If I were denied a life with Howl, Markl, Grandma and Calcifer…"

"Calcifer?"

"Yes, I'll explain later," Sophie said, she then went on, "Then my heart would slowly break into a thousand pieces. Please, Mother, don't subject me to such unhappiness. I don't want much, except to live here with my new family. Please!"

And that was it.

As soon as Honey's husband arrived, the filthy rich and cheesy Mr Smith, the debating started. After a long, thriving fifteen minutes, the deal was made – and Mr Smith and Honey walked away with two bouquets of roses, two-piece of silver and a box of lemons,

"Honey and lemon?" Markl said to himself once the pair had left. 

"What a wonderful duo!" Howl joked.

"Indeed, they are!" Sophie agreed, smiling warmly.

Despite what Honey said, Sophie got her way with the wedding. Nice, plain and simple, like she'd always wanted. Everyone was there: Grandma Witch, Honey, Mr Smith and his little daughter Martha (who Markl because fast friends with at the reception), Lettie, Bessie from the old hat shop, a few people from Market Chipping and even Madame Suliman sent her best wishes to Sophie, but nothing was said of Howl.

The most unwelcome ad yet welcome guest was Turnip-Head, i.e. Prince Justin, who Markl found himself very wary of. He'd made a promise with Heen that should he dare speak when the vicar said,  _ "If anyone objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace" _ , that Heen would bite him. However, despite his distress, Justin behaved himself and didn't say a word. He was clearly upset but shook hands with Howl after and kissed Sophie on the cheek. 

No strings attached.

Flowers weren't a problem, given they had a flower shop. Sophie's bouquet had been simple pansies, just as she had always wanted. Her dress was beautiful, and Honey even gave her old veil for her to wear. It was also Honey who gave her away, and she cried thought the whole service. From the beginning until the end, Sophie had stood confident and not once seemed to back down like most brides that everyone thought it was beautiful.

Nobody would ever know, but Sophie had had cold feet just before the wedding began and Markl had talked her around. 

"I'm so scared, Markl!" she said, pacing up and down fearing the task she had to do. "What is he back out? What if he regrets it? How am I meant to stand there and be the centre of attention?" she kept asking Markl though she was more talking to herself. "I have to think straight; otherwise, I might do something silly!"

"No one would judge you," Markl told her as he took her hand, "And there is nothing in this world that will ever feel better than being the centre of attention in the best way possible!"

After everything was all over, and the last glass of wine had been drunk. The last flower had been stepped on, and the last piece had cake had been eaten, the castle suddenly went entirely as it swept through the clouds. Calcifer was up all night chewing on many piles of wood that Sophie had left for him as a reward for being so well behaved at the reception. When it was early morning, Markl came out of his room and looked out the window to see the beautiful Market Chipping. He had never felt more part of a family.

His family was official. His mother and his father awoke not long after him, and once Grandma Witch was up, they all sat around a table as a family. Sophie cooked the breakfast and served it with milk for drink and honey on the toast, fed Calcifer the eggshell. Howl sat there reading a newspaper telling of how the new Treaty of Allies had been signed, and they all hoped that peace would keep its place in Ingary. Sophie sat down and fed Grandma while Markl fed Heen from the table, and no one minded. Every now and then, Sophie would stop to clean the messy face of her adopted son.

It really did seem like a family…

It felt like a family…

But Markl knew that it wasn't Howl and Sophie being married that made them a family. They had always been a family long ago. It was written years ago that they would end up like this. No, it was part two of the plan that was going to come true next.

"What is this part two of your plan?" Calcifer asked that very night before,

"The only other thing's needed to complete the family," Markl said grinning as he gazed into Calcifer's flames.

"Oh yeah?" Calcifer asked, chewing on another log, "And what might that be, I wonder?"

Markl smiled as he took a sip of lemon and honey. Not because he was sick but because it tastes good. 

"A little brother or sister!"


End file.
